Wilton Library is getting ready for its community-wide reading program Wilton Reads 2024 with a full slate of special events and programs scheduled for April and May. The library invites all community members to join and come together to read, discuss, and reflect upon The Great Divide by acclaimed author Cristina Henriquez. With this year’s selection, the town will explore the meaning of community and voices of cultural identity through insightful programming and a collaboration with Wilton Public Schools.

To kick off the event, a limited number of hardcover copies of The Great Divide will be given away at the library free of charge courtesy of Fairfield County Bank. Books will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, one per person, in the library lobby on Wednesday, April 3 from 10-11 a.m. and again from 5:30-6:30 p.m., while supplies last. 

“Every year, Wilton Reads provides a wonderful learning opportunity for all Wilton residents, and this year’s selection focuses on the fascinating story of the building of the Panama Canal. The Great Divide is an inspiring novel that highlights multiculturalism, what it means to be part of a community, and explores our collective history from diverse perspectives. We hope our programs and resources will open the door for many insights and conversations for all Wilton residents,” Wilton Library Executive Director Caroline Mandler said.

The Great Divide is a “TODAY Show” Read with Jenna Book Club Pick, an Indie Next Pick, a LibraryReads Pick, and has been named a Best of the Month Pick by Amazon, TIME, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times.

Henriquez is the author of four books, including The Book of Unknown Americans, which was a New York Times Notable Book of 2014 and one of Amazon’s Top 10 Best Books of the Year. It was longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Henriquez is also the author of The World in Half and Come Together, Fall Apart: A Novella and Stories. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Real Simple, and more. She is a recipient of the Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Foundation Award, a grant started by Sandra Cisneros in honor of her father. Henriquez earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Illinois.

For Wilton Reads 2024, there will be something for everyone at Wilton Library to enrich their knowledge — from food and film events to informative history presentations to engaging book discussions and children’s storytimes. 

Henriquez will visit the library for an author talk on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 p.m. She will be interviewed by Wilton resident Joanna Ecke, who taught public high school English for many years and has led several literary discussion groups at Wilton Library. The author will be presented with the Grodin Family Fine Writers award during her talk. Elm Street Books will be selling copies and Henriquez will be signing books after the presentation. The media sponsor of the Wilton Reads program and all author talks is GOOD Morning Wilton.

The library has put together an extensive list of additional Wilton Reads 2024 programs. All details are available on the library’s website.

For Adults

  • Thursdays, April 4, 11, 18 and 25 — Spring Poetry Seminars with Judson Scruton: From the Atlantic to the Pacific — Imagination is Prolific, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.: Join the library for a special poetry seminar series with popular guest lecturer Judson Scruton. As part of this year’s Wilton Reads program, Scruton will conduct four seminars mingling literary responses to two massive undertakings that connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans — the building of the Transcontinental Railroad and the building of the Panama Canal.
  • Wednesday, April 10 — Wilton Library Readers – The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez, 12-1:30 p.m.: Professional book discussion leader Susan Boyar discusses the 2024 Wilton Reads selection. 
  • Thursday, April 11 — Book Discussion of The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez, 7-8:30 p.m.: Professional book discussion leader Susan Boyar discusses the 2024 Wilton Reads selection. 
  • Monday, April 15 — Panama on a Plate: One Country, One Voice, Many Flavors, 7 to 8:30 p.m.: Join the library for an introduction to the foods, aromas, colors and culture of Panama with Chef Yadira Stamp, an Afro-Latina native of Panama City, Panama and chef/owner of Esencias Panamenas Catering in Washington, D.C., where she prepares authentic Panamanian, Caribbean and Central American dishes and beverages. Esencias Panamenas is the only Panamanian catering company in the U.S. to offer its food nationwide.
  • Thursday, April 18 — Panama Canal Documentary Screening, 6:30-8 p.m.: Join Wilton Library for a Wilton Reads screening of the PBS documentary film Panama Canal. On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal opened, connecting the world’s two largest oceans and signaling America’s emergence as a global superpower. This film, using an extraordinary archive of photographs and footage, interviews with canal workers, and firsthand accounts of life in the Canal Zone, unravels the remarkable story of one of the world’s most significant technological achievements.
  • Sunday, April 21 — Panama Canal Documentary Screening, 3-4:30 p.m.: Join Wilton Library for a Wilton Reads screening of the PBS documentary film Panama Canal. On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal opened, connecting the world’s two largest oceans and signaling America’s emergence as a global superpower. This film, using an extraordinary archive of photographs and footage, interviews with canal workers, and firsthand accounts of life in the Canal Zone, unravels the remarkable story of one of the world’s most significant technological achievements.
  • Wednesday, May 1 — Making the Dirt Fly: Building the Panama Canal (In Person & Zoom), 7-8 p.m.: Join Wilton Library for a fascinating Wilton Reads presentation, “Making the Dirt Fly: Building the Panama Canal.” Eric Ward from the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology, will discuss the massive construction project. He will also explore current issues facing the Canal due to changing climate.

For Teens and Children

  • Wednesday, April 10 — Lego Panama Canal, 4:30-5:15 p.m.: Aspiring engineers in grades 1-3 will learn about the operation of the Panama Canal by building their own replica out of Lego blocks.
  • Wednesday, April 17 — Hispanic Bilingual Storytime, 10:30-11 a.m.: Families with children ages 2 and up can join Wilton Library to celebrate Wilton Reads! In this interactive family storytime centering on the Hispanic experience and including some Spanish, there will be stories, rhymes, songs, and movement activities.
  • Thursday, April 18 Rainforest Experience for Elementary Kids, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Kids aged 4-9 can join us for this year’s rainforest focused Wilton Reads program geared just for them. We will read Zonia’s Rain Forest by Juana Martinez-Neal and do a rainforest based craft. 
  • Wednesday, April 24 — Book Discussion and Poetry for Teens, 3:30-4:30 p.m.: For Wilton Reads 2024, the Wilton Library teen pick is Silver People by Margarita Engle. Set during the building of the Panama Canal, this novel in verse follows two main characters and a collection of different fictional and historical voices. Register to come discuss the book and create some poetry of your own!
  • Tuesday, April 30 — Children’s Book Discussion, 4-5 p.m.: Students in grades 3-6 can celebrate Wilton Reads by joining Wilton Library to discuss the graphic novel Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Gabriela Epstein. 

Special Displays at Wilton Library

  • Tuesday, April 9 through Wednesday, May 8 — Wilton Reads: Panama Canal Construction Photo Slideshow, during library operating hours: It’s hard to imagine what the construction of the Panama Canal looked like. Wilton Library has gathered dozens of photographs from the Library of Congress and enlarged them to fit a large-screen TV. Stop by the library and see these fascinating images and get a sense of the enormity of the construction project. 
  • Tuesday, April 9 through Wednesday, May 8 — Wilton Reads: Fraud and Connecticut’s Farmington Canal History Exhibit, during library operating hours: For a Canal story closer to home, stop by and see Wilton Library’s history display with a Wilton twist. Wilton’s Samuel F. Lambert was a financial fraudster sued by New York State following the Panic of 1826, providing a blueprint for the national legislative response following the 2008 financial crisis. As a director of the Farmington Canal Company, he also swindled investors on this ill-fated boondoggle.

A full list of Wilton Reads 2024 programs is available on the library’s website. The website also highlights reading suggestions for adults, age-appropriate reading for students, and educational resources. 

To support Wilton Reads 2024, Wilton Public Schools has created age-appropriate reading lists and a full schedule of programs and activities that will involve the entire school community from grades K-12, providing an opportunity for meaningful conversations in the schools and at home. For more information, visit the Wilton Public Schools website.   

Wilton Library’s partners for Wilton Reads 2024 are Wilton Public Schools, Fairfield County Bank, and Elm Street Books. The media sponsor of Wilton Reads is GOOD Morning Wilton. 

This is the 18th season of Wilton Reads. A list of past Wilton Reads selections can be found online.

For more than 128 years, Wilton Library has served as the cultural and intellectual center of Wilton with the mission to inform, enrich, connect, and inspire our community. The library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Rd. in the heart of Wilton Center. For more information, visit the Wilton Library website, call the library’s reference librarians at 203.762.6350 or email the library.